Legal Guns Stop Crime

Liberals are constantly saying that the conservative argument for carrying a firearm for protection is overblown. Many of us who carry have never had to use our firearm in self-defense and so our argument is invalid, is the way the leftist argument goes. The problem with this rationale is that it is so demonstrably false, as to be laughable. Almost every day guns are used to either stop a crime or to stop a criminal in the act of committing a crime.

The United States of America is the most gun immersed nation in the world. We have some of the most self-defense friendly rules in the world as it pertains to gun ownership (depending on the state you live in, of course – some of you may live in the fascist states of California, New York or New Jersey, and the rules are much more strict for you). Even with the plentiful amount of guns and the easy access to them that most of us enjoy, I think most Americans would be quick to say that life in the United States is neither violent nor scary. With the amount of negative attention our gun rights get, you might assume that life in America is very dangerous… the threat of being shot almost omnipresent. But it’s not. Unless you live in a crime rich, urban area like Chicago, Detroit or Camden (where guns are all frowned upon), you really shouldn’t be too worried about gun violence.

The point is, easy legal access to guns can work as crime deterrents. Consider the criminal who plans on breaking into a home in a suburban neighborhood. He has narrowed his choice to two homes which neighbor each other. One home has a vehicle with an NRA sticker on the back and a “protected by Smith & Wesson” sign in a flower bed. The other home has a sign in the front yard supporting anti-gun laws. Which home will the criminal break into? The home with a likely gun, or the home that is likely without?

The same can be said internationally. Legal gun ownership acts as a deterrent from crime.

A recent video from Sao Paolo, Brazil where crime and violence are an everyday worry for many Brazilians, shows how guns can work as crime deterrents. Brazil has very restrictive gun laws, so getting and carrying a gun legally is very difficult. So things like this happen…

The lesson here? Don’t try to motorcycle-jack someone in front of a cop. However, if there is no cop around, it’s very safe and easy to steal someone’s motorcycle. My “modest proposal”? Make it easier to legally carry a gun, and Brazil would see a real and obvious decline in crimes like these.

About the author

Onan Coca

Onan is the Editor-in-Chief at Romulus Marketing. He's also the managing editor at Eaglerising.com, Constitution.com and the managing partner at iPatriot.com. You can read more of his writing at Eagle Rising.
Onan is a graduate of Liberty University (2003) and earned his M.Ed. at Western Governors University in 2012. Onan lives in Atlanta with his wife and their three wonderful children.